Cyclonic separation devices



R. E. FEASEL CYGLONIC SEPARATION DEVICES March 10, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 25, 1969 M/VE'A/ r00 PAY E- FEASEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1969 POM El? AMP COA/TPOL WILVE IELE.4

Mll/E/VTOE PAY E. Fr-AssL United States Patent 3,499,531 CYCLONIC SEPARATION DEVICES Ray E. Feasel, Cushing, 0kla., assignor to Industrial Service Company, Inc., Cushing, 0kla., a corporation of Oklahoma Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 762,071, Sept. 24, 1968. This application June 25, 1969, Ser. No. 836,540

Int. Cl. B04c 5/16, 5/085; B01d 21/26 US. Cl. 210-114 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Improvements in apparatus for the separation of particulate matter from fluid under pressure, the apparatus consisting of a first chamber means for receiving tangential input flow of fluid under pressure for circulation therein and introduction into a low friction cone member disposed immediately thereblow, and conduit means leading from the upper portion of said cone member vertically through the center of said first chamber for communication into a second chamber isolated thereabove and providing a tangential flow output of the fluid. The apparatus includes still an additional chamber enveloping the cone means and in communication with the lower end thereof, and a continuously adjustable valve means to vary the degree of communication between the cone means and the additional chamber such that optimum pressure differential can be derived as between the first chamber interior, the interior of the cone member, and the interior of the second chamber leading to the outlet conduit.

CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION The present invention is a continuation-in-part of the subject matter in US. patent application No. 762,071 entitled Improvements in Cyclonic Separation Devices, and filed by the same inventor on Sept. 24, 1968.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates generally to improvements in cyclonic separator devices and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, it relates to specific improvements in pressure regulating devices for cyclonic separator apparatus of the type employed for refining and cleaning fluids under pressure.

Description of the prior art The prior art includes a great many types of cyclonic separation devices, which, in some aspects, are very similar to the present invention. The general theory of operation of cyclonic separators is indeed old and wellknown and the basic structures required to carry out such processing of fluentmaterial must, or necessity, be somewhat similar due to the geometrical considerations of the physical layouts. More recent improvements in cyclonic separation apparatus have been directed toward the more specific structural limitations which attend an apparatus for operation with particular fluent materials carrying impurities of generally known and anticipated type, size, and weight.

3,499,531 Patented Mar. 10, 1970 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates an improved cyclonic separation device wherein fluid under pressure is cleaned of particulate matter during a flow stage of operations. In a more limited aspect, the invention consists of a first chamber means for receiving fluid at a first pressure in a tangential input flow to set up a cyclonic or circular flow, the first chamber means communicating downward with a cone member which is lined with a low friction surface and which is tapered to produce an increase in pressure differential proceeding down the cone member. A clean fluid conduit then leads from the upper central portion of the cone member through the center of the first chamber into communication with a second chamber which provides a circular flow and pressure equalization of the fluid for tangential exit through an outlet conduit. An additional chamber envelopes the cone member, being sealingly connected about the top end thereof, and communication therebetween is optimally restricted by a variable valve structure to insure that non-circulating fluid and sediment material which has been separated from the fluid is contained in the additional chamber for discharge.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a separator device which can be installed in a flow line to effect fluid cleansing at high rates of flow.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for use in industrial or domestic water lines to reduce pipe fouling, corrosion, chemical treatment costs, and costs arising from maintenance of attendant equipment.

It is still further an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which can be connected in series in flow lines and which employs no cartridges or other such filtration media which require cleaning or backwashing, and which operation may be continuous as contaminates can be withdrawn during operation.

Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a flow line cleansing apparatus which operates continuously at constant efficiency while requiring essentially no maintenance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a vertical elevation partially cut away of a separator unit as connected in a flow line;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the upper portion of'a separator unit;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a separator unit; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical section illustrating an alternative form of regulating valve which may be utilized.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, a separator unit 10, as secured to a suitable deck plate or such 12, receives fluid input from an entry conduit 14 and it directs fluid output through an exit conduit 16. The separator unit 10 consists of an upper head portion 18 which is sealingly secured on top of a cylindrical housing portion 20 which supports an inverted cone member 22 therein. f

Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, thehead portion 18 may be formed from such as a shell or dome 24 formed from mild steel or other suitable heavy structural material. The dome 24 is formed with an annular flange 26 which includes a gasket facing 28 and a plurality of holes equally spaced therearound to receive fasteners 30 therethrough. The fasteners 30 may be such as bolts 32 and nuts 34, or various other conventional fastening means may be utilized. An annular plate 36 is secured as by Welding across approximately the vertical midpoint (as shown) of the dome 24 interior. An axial conduit 38 is then joined through the center of annular plate 36 to extend axially downward into an open-end termination 39 within the upper opening of cone member 22. Thus, the annular plate 36 divides the head portion 18 into an upper chamber 40 and a lower, annular-shaped chamber 42 opening downward in communication with the cone member 22.

Fluid input from entry conduit 14 is effected through sealed flange connections by means of fasteners 44 securing a flange 46 of input conduit 48. The input conduit 48 is rigidly affixed to lead into lower chamber 42 of dome 24 through a tangential hole 50. A pressure gauge 52 is aflixed through a connector stub 54 to communicate with the interior of input conduit 48. An output conduit 56 is rigidly aflixed to lead tangentially from an exit hole 58 from upper chamber 40. Output conduit 56 includes a connector stub 60 and a pressure gauge 62, and the conduit 56 terminates in a flange 64 for aflixure by means of fasteners 66 to the exit conduit 16.

The upper end of housing unit 20 is formed with a flange 68 and gasket face 70 and it may be formed as a cylinder, as shown in FIG. 1, to extend downward into contact with a suitable supporting means such as a deck plate 12. The housing 20 includes a suitable stopcock 72 disposed through its Wall at an upper position to serve as an air vent. A pressure gauge 74 is secured through the wall of housing 20 by means of a connector stub 76 at approximately the level of the bottom narrow end 78 of cone member 22. Still another stopcock 80 is disposed through the housing member 20 at a lowermost point for the purpose of removing trapped sediment such as sand, silt, rust and other materials which have been removed from the fluid. Thus, a bottom plate 82 is secured as by welding across the housing member 20 to form the bottom plate therein and stopcock 80 is positioned just above thislevel.

The cone member 22 consists of an outer cone 84, fabricated from steel or such, which is formed to have an outward connecting flange 86 around its top or wider open end 88. A suitable ring gasket 90 and an upper ring gasket 92 may be respectively positioned below and above the cone flange 86 for sealing abutment against the respective gasket facings 70 and 28 to provide a high pressure seal. The internal, conical surface of the cone member22 is coated with a selected plastic lining 94. In one form of the invention, a cured urethane polymer which exhibits a low friction surface property was cast on the conical section 84 which, in turn, was formed from steel.

Optimum pressure differential and return sediment blocking is effected by a flow regulating valve 96 as shown in FIG. 1. The valve 96 consists of a float ball 98 and stop plug 100 in coaction with a conically formed stop receptacle 102. The stop receptacle 102 may be such as a cone-shaped metallic member which is secured as by Welding around the narrow end 78 of cone member 22 to form an outwardly flaring opening therebeneath. The stop plug 100 is then formed from a suitable material in the same segmental cone-shaped as receptacle 102 so that it can be received upward therein to completely cutoff fluid flow.

The stop plug 100 is supported on a shaft 104 which is rigidly secured to the float ball 98. Float ball 98 may be formed from a suitable plastic or metal to include a guide hole 106 in axial alignment with shaft 104 such that it coacts with a rod 108 to maintain float ball 98 and stop plug 100 in proper alignment with the stop receptacle 102 at all times. A plurality of guide vanes 110 may be disposed in vertical alignment about the inner wall of cylindrical housing portion 20 to ensure proper guidance of float ball 98 along with adequate liquid and/or sediment passage therearound for communication to the outlet valve 80.

OPERATION The separator unit 10 may be used in either industrial or domestic fluid flow lines to effect removal of particular matter at high flow rates. For example, presently constructed types of separator unit 10 may be connected into a water flow line at flow rates up to 100 gallons per minute to effect removal of sand, silt, rust and other foreign materials. The separator units 10 are constructed to utilize a differential pressure of approximately 25 lbs. per square inch of gravity as between the input and exit conduits to effect separation, and the specified flow rate of 100 gallons per minute is only one rate as derived from a particularly constructed model. Thus, higher or lower flow rates may be accommodated by extrapolation with respect to the various design parameters.

When the separator unit 10 is installed, input fluid from entrance conduit 14 is applied through the input conduit 48 for tangential input through hole 50 into the lower chamber 42 of head portion 18. The fluid is continually introduced into a circular flow which, due to the applied force, seeks a level down within cone member 22 so that a vortical flow is set up. The centrifugal force tends to move particulate matter outward against the plastic cone member 94 whereupon it can progress down through the lower opening 78 of cone member 22 for eventual deposition below regular valve 96 and periodic or continuous removal through stopcock 80.

The cleansed fluid tends to concentrate within the center of the volume within conical member 22 at an increased pressure which forces it to flow upward through the lower opening 39 of axial conduit 38; whereupon it is cyclically agitated around within upper chamber 40 for tangential removal through hole 58 and output conduit 56 to the exit conduit 16.

Pressure meters 52 and 62 are placed in each of the respective input conduit 48 and output conduit 56 to indicate the differential pressure. Thus, in one form of operation, the input meter 52 may read approximately 2.5 p.s.i.g. whereupon the output meter 62 should read zero pounds pressure, or nearly so, if exit conduit 16 is free from blockage. The differential pressure of about 25 p.s.i.g. is usually suflicient to effect particle separation through centrifical force during the violent vortical flow within cone member 22.

The regulator valve 96 may be adjusted to some degree which is consonant with the pressure, viscosity and other related considerations for a particular fluid application. The outlet valve can be adjusted to set a predetermined level of liquid-solid filtrant within the lower part of cylindrical housing portion 20, and this, in turn, will hold float ball 98 and stop plug at the proper level to maintain the optimum flow of material down through narrow end 78 of cone member 22. This flow amount through end 78 is normally to be adjusted (by outlet valve 80) so that no filtered material can find its way back upward into cone member 22. It is also contemplated that some applications may benefit from a bleeding-in of selected and/or regulated air pressure through stopcock 72.

It is recognized that the force necessary to move stop plug 100 upward within stop receptacle 102 may some times be greater than can be obtained by such as float ball 98. In such case, necessary additional force may be obtained through electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic power application. FIG. 4 shows one form of alternative regulator valve structure 112 which regulates position of stop plug 100 within stop receptacle 102 by means of a non-flotation, powered movement.

The stop plug 100 is aflixed on a rod 114 which is slidably disposed to extend downward through a sealing ring 116 into pivotal connection with a lever .118. Leven 118 is secured for fulcral movement at a post 120 to extend the other end into pivotal affixure to a piston shaft 122 of a fluid-actuated cylinder 124. The cylinder 124 receives fluid under pressure through conduits 126 and 128 from a control valve 130, and control valve 130 as energized by a power source 132 is actuated in accordance with sensor input from a suitable conventional form of amplifier .134.

The liquid level, i.e. liquid plus solid filtrant, within the lower part of housing portion 20 may be sensed by a. suitable liquid level sensor element 136 which provides an output indicative of liquid level to the amplifier 134. The sensor element 136 may be any of various types of liquid level sensor which is capable of providing an electrical output proportional to its immersion in liquid. For example, sensor element 136 may be a slide wire type of sensor having its resistive components shorted out in proportion to such immersion. Many other types of sensors may also find employ and its is fully contemplated that either electrical or fluid-powered mechanisms may be used in such valving applications. Also, it may be desirable to employ a plurality of baffles 138 to eliminate certain vortical turbulence which might arise.

It should be understood that the greatest efficiency is obtained by designing each individual separator unit to have dimensions consonant with best operation for whatever the flow rate of the fluid line with which it is to be used. Thus, a separator unit for use with a higher flow rate would have enlarged conduit members, chambers, and cone member, these elements being enlarged by a parametric proportion which would be ascertained from consideration of the increase in flow rate to be. handled. Similarly, separator units 10 may be designed to be physically smaller for use with lower flow rates. All parts of the separator units 10 may be fabricated from well-known materials utilizing conventional fastener techniques; for example, the unit may be constructed using commercially available, standard pipe, flanges and.- steel plating, such stock being assembled by means of electric welding.

The foregoing discloses a novel separator device which can be employed for cleaning particulate matter from flowing liquids continuously and in relatively maintenance free matter. Such a cyclonic separation device requires no changing of filtration media of any kind and, therefore, it requires no shutdown of flow as the various contaminates may be withdrawn from the unit while the particle separation continues unaffected. Such cyclonic separation units are particularly adapted for separating suspended particulate matter such as sand, rust, etc. from industrial or domestic waters while in flow.

What is claimed is: 1. Apparatus functioning to perform cyclonic separation of particulate matter from a fluid under pressure, comprising:

lower chamber means having a generally cylindrical shape with a first end closed and a second end open and being disposed in the downward direction;

input conduit means connected for tangential communication with said lower chamber means for introducing said fluid under pressure;

conduit means which is conically shaped with both ends open and having the larger end sealingly secured about the lower chamber means second end with the smaller end disposed vertically therebelow, said conduit means having the interior lined with resilient material having a low coefiicient of friction relative to particulate matter;

housing means sealingly secured about said lower chamber means second end and extending a closed space below said conduit means smaller end;

upper chamber means having a generally cylindrical shape with a first upper end closed and a second lower end sealingly secured around the first end of said lower chamber means; flow conduit means disposed through the center of said first end of said lower chamber means into communication with said upper chamber means, said flow conduit means extending axially through said lower chamber means to terminate immediately below said lower chamber means second end; output conduit means connected for tangential communication with said upper chamber means to provide an outlet for said fluid under pressure; stop means of approximately the same size as the open smaller end of said conduit means; adjusting means affixed to said stop means for varying the position of said stop means relative to said open smaller end in proportion to the depth of fluid and particulate matter in said closed space of said housing means; and outlet valve means connected to said housing means closed space and adjustable to maintain said depth of fluid and particulate matter and said stop means position relative to said open smaller end at predetermined positions. 2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said conduit means resilient lining material comprises:

cured urethane polymer aflixed in uniform thickness to the interior surface of said conically shaped conduit means. 3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 which is further characterized to include:

first indicator means for indicating the fluid pressure within said input conduit means; and second indicating means for indicating the fluid pressure within said output conduit means. 4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 which is further characterized to include:

first indicator means for indicating the fluid pressure within said input conduit means; and second indicator means for indicating the fluid pressure within said output conduit means. 5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 which is further characterized to include:

stop cock means disposed through said housing means at an uppermost position to permit passage of air therethrough. 6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said adjusting means comprises:

float means disposed within said housing means closed space; and connecting means extending vertically from said float means into secure connection with said stop means. 7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said stop means comprises:

first conically-shaped flange means having smaller and larger open ends with said smaller end sealingly connected about the conduit means smaller end; and stop plug means shaped similar to the interior of said conically-shaped flange means and aflixed to said adjusting means for variable insertion within said conically-shaped flange means. 8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said adjusting means comprises:

float means disposed within said housing means closed space; and connecting means extending vertically from said float means into secure connection with said stop means. 9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said adjusting means comprises:

push-rod means aflixed to said stop means and being vertically disposed in said housing means closed space; actuating means for imparting vertical movement to said push-rod means; sensing means for detecting the liquid level within said 7 8 closed space and providing an output indication pro- References Cited Portimal there); and UNITED STATES PATENTS control means energized by said sensing means output to control said actuating means such that said stop 3,187,895 6/1965 Pall et 2101 14 means is positioned at a proportionate distance from 3,237,777 3/1966 Brown et a1 210-512 5 3,259,246 7/1966 Stavenger 210 512 X said conduit means smaller end. 10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said actu- JAMES L DECESARE, Primary Examiner atlng means comprises:

hydraulic cylinder means controlled by said control US. Cl. X.R.

means to vertically adjust said push-rod means. 10 210121, 512 

